The settlers daily storm the courtyards of Al-Aqsa Mosque in order to impose the temporal and spatial division of the mosque and to Judaize the Holy city of Jerusalem.

For Muslims، Al-Aqsa represents the world's third holiest site. Jews، for their part، refer to the area as the "Temple Mount،" claiming it was the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times.

In 2003، the Israeli government unilaterally decided — despite the objections of the Islamic Endowments Department — to allow non-Muslim visitors into the complex.

Since then، under increasingly right-wing Israeli governments، extremist Jewish settlers have been allowed into the site in ever greater numbers — usually protected by Israeli security forces — while Palestinian access to the site has become increasingly restricted.